top of page

Should Cheadle have an Electric Vehicle Charging Hub?


To help answer this complex question we considered the needs of residents, businesses and visitors.


Do residents need an EV Charger?

Cheadle is a growing town, where significantly more homes are being built than in other Moorlands towns, new properties tend to include an EV charger, which for some, offers an extra incentive to purchase a new home. Residents with off road parking would have a charger retro fitted and so EV charging for residents only affects those who have older homes and no parking. Some areas of the UK allow these residents to trail cables from their home across the footpath. This is not allowed in Staffordshire and does present a hazard for pedestrians, where it is allowed. Bollard Charging may offer a partial solution, but if you live in a built up area you might not be able to charge your vehicle nearby because parking space is at a premium. If Councils don't provide a means for charging EV's, they are perpetuating the problem. A problem they have set targets to solve.


Would a Hub encourage More Visitors?

The use of electric vehicles is now becoming much more common across the country. Visitors to Alton Towers, The Peak District, Pugin's Gem etc., are more likely than ever to be driving electric or hybrid vehicles. Having the ability to recharge their car batteries nearby will encourage visitors to stop locally and shop locally. Recharging their vehicle's battery and hopefully their own too. The outstanding beauty of our area, and our unique attractions mean visitors travel longer distances than to other areas. It's only right that we are able to accommodate their needs, especially as many local businesses need that trade.


Statistically visitors coming in from surrounding areas tend to travel about an hour's journey each way. According to Zap map if your town has hotels, zoos or a museum then slow chargers are the choice. In other towns near or on a trunk route then 50 kw and above is the standard. Cheadle has a lot to offer visitors but our attractions have a mixture of long or short visitor times. Easy charging is likely to encourage them to visit again, and again. All these things help improve our town's prosperity, which helps bring better education, jobs and other things we need to thrive.


How's our air quality?

Unlike Leek who's High Street has restricted access, and Biddulph with her bypass, Cheadle's High Street endures thousands of visitors, especially during the summer making their way to our big 3 attractions from the A50 or M6 road networks. Traffic and pedestrians exist in close quarters here. Many areas of the country, not just London, are restricting vehicles who pollute the air quality from accessing significant areas. Is it time for Cheadle residents to consider doing the same, electric "clean" vehicles are still welcome in such spaces. If we were to consider restricting access this would encourage more EV users who would have a need to charge their vehicles.


Are our Buildings at Risk?

Cheadle is an ancient town, able to trace the history of many high street shops and significant buildings back a couple of hundred years or more. These buildings deserve our protection from the fumes and dirt produced by fossil fuel powered vehicles. EV's don't pose a problem, which again brings up how to charge.


Leek leads the way

We have spotted new chargers at the SMDC's main building, Moorlands House in Leek including a charger specifically for the chairperson. We've asked their EV experience and if they finds the charger beneficial. We'll let you know when we receive a reply.


How do we Compare the Rest of the World?

Norway boasts 93% of all new car sales being electric. To power the transition in China they have installed 60G watts of renewables in 9 months while U.K. has taken 10 years to produce the same amount of free energy generation. Our government has ruled to stop the sale of fossil fuelled vehicles by 2035*.


About Charging Hubs

A Charging Hub is normally made up of 6 or more chargers of 100kw plus, which would almost exclusively be used by visitors. This wouldn't on its own address all of the issues we've discussed.

To enable our government to meet the 2050 carbon neutral target, and to stop the sale of fossil fuelled vehicles by 2035, they are providing funding to local councils, to enable them to provide basic charging facilities for towns and cities.


What does this mean for Cheadle?

Cheadle boasts three car parks and Tape Street EV hub would not only provide an important visitor service but could generate an extra income for the Car Park. This plan has been approved by Cheadle Town Council, and has had 0 cost implications for the District Council. The Town Council's plan is with SMDC and a decision has now been made. County Council Portfolio holder Nigel Yates promised a press release once the decision was made. We've not seen it yet but hope they will consider the needs of our visitors, residents and the businesses who increasingly rely on tourism for their business.


*Source: Statista.com



Uttoxeter's EV charging Hub

Should Cheadle have an Electric Vehicle Charging Hub? Last updated 16.10.24

15 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page